The 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the fortieth season of Sydney’s top-level rugby league competition, Australia's first. For the first time, the number of clubs in the league reached double digits due to the admission of Manly-Warringah and Parramatta to the first grade competition. The season culminated in a grand final between the Balmain and Canterbury-Bankstown clubs.
Season summary Midway through the season the Balmain club looked out of touch winning only six of their first twelve games. Five consecutive wins to end the regular season left them in position to make a finals assault. Balmain's Bob Lulham set a new record for the highest number of tries by a player in a debut season with a tally of 28 tries in eighteen matches. This remains that club's record for tries in a season.
Teams The addition of two teams, Manly-Warringah and Parramatta, saw ten teams from across the city contest during the 1947 premiership, the first expansion of the League since Canterbury-Bankstown’s introduction in 1935. Manly had been competing for a number of years in the NSWRFL's President's Cup (3rd grade) competition and had been assured by the league of first grade status should they win the Presidents Cup, which they finally did in 1946. After Cumberland’s demise from the league, pressure began to build in the area for another team in the NSWRFL in the 1930s, though this died down during World War II and a Parramatta district club was not proposed again until 1946 when the club was successfully admitted into the Premiership. Balmain, formed on January 23, 1908, at Balmain Town Hall Canterbury-Bankstown, formed on September 25, 1934 Eastern Suburbs, formed on January 24, 1908, at Paddington Town Hall Manly-Warringah admitted in 1947 Newtown, formed on January 14, 1908 North Sydney, formed on February 7, 1908 Parramatta, formed in November 1946 South Sydney, formed on January 17, 1908, at Redfern Town Hall St. George, formed on November 8, 1920, at Kogarah School of Arts Western Suburbs, formed on February 4, 1908
Balmain 40th seasonGround(s): Leichhardt Oval, Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Norm RobinsonCaptain: Tom Bourke Canterbury-Bankstown 13th seasonGround(s): Belmore Oval,Sydney Showground, Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Ross McKinnonCaptain: Henry Porter Eastern Suburbs 40th seasonGround(s): Pratten Park, Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Arthur HallowayCaptain: Sel Lisle Manly-Warringah 1st seasonGround(s): Brookvale Oval Coach: Harold Johnson & Ray StehrCaptain: Max WhiteheadNewtown 40th seasonGround(s): Erskineville Oval Captain-coach: Frank Farrell North Sydney 40th seasonGround(s): North Sydney Oval, Sydney Showground Coach: Cliff PearceCaptain: Tom Kirk Parramatta 1st seasonGround(s): Cumberland Oval Coach: Frank McMillanCaptain: Bob AndrewsSouth Sydney 40th seasonGround(s): Pratten Park, Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Dave WatsonCaptain: Jack Rayner St. George 27th seasonGround(s): Hurstville Oval Coach: Arthur Justice, Charlie Lynch (from May)Captain: Doug McRitchieWestern Suburbs 40th seasonGround(s): Pratten Park, Sydney Sports Ground Coach: Frank BurgeCaptain: Eric Bennett
Ladder
TeamPldWDLPFPAPDPts1 Canterbury181314366272+94272 Balmain181206342265+77243 Newtown181116375302+73234 St. George181107353272+81225 Western Suburbs181107295253+42226 North Sydney18918287278+9197 South Sydney18909314328-14188 Eastern Suburbs185112270316-46119 Manly184014242364-122810 Parramatta183015230424-1946
Finals HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDate and TimeVenueRefereeCrowd Playoff St. George5–10 Western Suburbs27 August 1947Sydney Sports Ground13,552 Semifinals Canterbury25–15 Newtown30 August 1947Sydney Cricket GroundGeorge Bishop36,303 Balmain27–16 Western Suburbs6 September 1947Sydney Sports GroundTom McMahon29,375 Final Canterbury19–25 Balmain13 September 1947Sydney Sports GroundJack O'Brien34,994 Grand Final Canterbury9–13 Balmain20 September 19471947 Grand Final at nrlstats.comSydney Sports GroundJack O'Brien29,292
Grand final Canterbury-BankstownPositionBalmain 13. Dick Johnson FB Jack McCullough 14. Jeff Simmonds WG 2. Robert Lulham 11. Eddie Tracey CE 3. Pat Devery 10. Norm Young CE 14. Joe Jorgenson 9. Morrie Murphy WG 15. Arthur Patton 8. Roy Hasson FE 4. George Williams 7. Bruce Hopkins HB 32. Des Bryan Eddie Burns PR 34. John Brannigan 56. Roy Kirkaldy HK 9. Herb Gilbert Jnr 3. Henry Porter (c) PR 8. Jack Spencer 25. Alister Clarke SR 24. Sid Ryan 58. Ken Charlton SR 11. Harry Bath 6. Len Holmes LK 7. Tom Bourke (c) Ross McKinnon Coach Norm Robinson The Tigers had strung together seven consecutive wins including a preliminary final victory over minor premiers Canterbury in their attempt at a second straight premiership. Canterbury exercised their “right of challenge” after losing the final and called for a Grand Final decider.
The formidable Canterbury front row of Eddie Burns, Roy Kirkaldy and Henry Porter were combining in their tenth season for over one hundred and fifty appearances as a scrum front trio. They led a punishing Berries defence and gave their side a better-than-even chance of possession in the scrum contests.
Balmain's star international centre and Kangaroo captain Joe Jorgenson had played and coached on a country contract in Junee in 1947 but returned to the Tigers reserve-grade in time for the semifinals. The Grand Final marked his sole first-grade appearance of the season. Balmain's Test five-eighth Pat Devery was the nominated match kicker but after several misses he passed over to Jorgenson who kicked three penalties to keep Balmain in the game and trailing 9–6 with ten minutes to go.
Then Jorgenson crashed over for a try under the posts and after receiving medical attention he converted his own goal to give the Tigers an 11–9 lead. A final 45-yard penalty goal then sealed the match for the Tigers at 13–9 with Jorgenson scoring all of Balmain's points and being chaired victorious from the field.
Balmain 13 (Tries: Jorgenson. Goals: Jorgenson 5 )
defeated
Canterbury-Bankstown 9 (Tries: Hasson. Goals: Johnson 2, Hasson)
Player statistics The following statistics are as of the conclusion of Round 18.
Top 5 point scorers PointsPlayerTriesGoalsField Goals130 Bill Keato0650126 Jack Lindwall14420116 Tom Kirk0580114 Pat Devery648081 Roy Hasson11240 Top 5 try scorers TriesPlayer25 Bobby Lulham14 Jack Lindwall13 Morrie Murphy13 Len Smith13 Norm Jacobson
Top 5 goal scorers GoalsPlayer65 Bill Keato58 Tom Kirk48 Pat Devery42 Jack Lindwall33 Frank Bonner
References
External links Rugby League Tables - Notes AFL Tables Rugby League Tables - Season 1947 AFL Tables Premiership History and Statistics RL1908 Finals lineups and results Hunterlink site Balmain Official History Tigers History Site Whiticker, Alan(2004) Captaining the Kangaroos, New Holland, Sydney Results:1941-1950 at rabbitohs.com.au 1947 Labor Daily Cup at rleague.com 1947 NSWRFL season at rugbyleagueproject.org